U-turn on scribes’ assets

7 May 2010 11:36 am

By Sumaiya Rizvi

In a surprising turn of events, newly appointed Media Minister Keheliya Rambukwella said today that it was optional for journalists to declare their assets and liabilities and not mandatory as declared by the government earlier.

Minister Rambukwella said that while journalists had been requested to fill the assets and liabilities declarations forms which were sent to each journalist by the Information Department earlier last month, he too had declared his assets as a parliamentarian.

“I don’t know about the others (parliamentarians), you can ask the speaker, but I have declared my assets and liabilities,” Minister Rambukwella said.

It is legal to have media personal declare their assets, he added.